Easy Homemade Mexican Chorizo

SALIVARY GLANDS AND LYMPH NODES. That’s what you’ll find in the list of ingredients of a lot of store-bought chorizo. I bought some a while back, cooked with it, and it wasn’t until after we had eaten it that I saw the foreboding list of ingredients. Yes, I felt a little ill.

The “daring” in Daring Gourmet isn’t referring to entertaining members of the lymphatic and exocrine families.

Since seeing that I haven’t been able to stomach the thought of ever eating store-bought chorizo again. I don’t trust it. That’s right, I have trust issues with chorizo. So, I make my own. I don’t bother using the sausage casings – no point since when cooking chorizo you remove it from the casing anyway. So I either grind my own pork or have the butcher do it for me. That way I know EXACTLY what’s in it! And, more importantly, what ISN’T!

Chorizo is a heavily spiced sausage commonly used in Mexican dishes. It’s crumbled and fried up with whatever other ingredients the dish calls for. It’s made with a variety of ingredients, including various ground chiles, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, vinegar, etc. Many recipes call for about 1/4 lb at a time, so I divide it up into 1/4 lb “sausages” and freeze them so they’re ready for use when I need them.

And as for my chronic trust issues with store-bought chorizo…I’m afraid it’s a hopeless case, a lost relationship. I don’t think I can ever learn to trust it again . I suppose we could seek counseling together, store-bought chorizo and I, but what’s the use? We never loved each other in the first place, have since lost the ability to communicate, and

“Now it’s too late, baby, now it’s too late…

Something inside has died and I can’t hide it,

and I just can’t fake it.”

Store-bought chorizo: We’re through.

(Thanks, Carole King, for those fitting lyrics.)

This homemade Mexican chorizo is super simple to make. I did the work in experimenting with the different spices and ratios – now all you have to do is combine the spices with the meat and you’re done! It’s really that simple. And this chorizo tastes good! Just grab some ready-made chorizo from the freezer whenever you need it.

Many authentic Mexican recipes call for chorizo. Here are a couple of mine and more will follow:

Simple and quick to make, you have have this delicious chorizo on hand any time you need it. Just grab some from the freezer.

: The Daring Gourmet, www.daringgourmet.com

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 1½ pounds

Ingredients

1 lb coarsely ground lean pork

6 oz coarsely ground pork fat

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

Instructions

Place the meat in a large bowl and all all remaining ingredients. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture. Place the chorizo in a colander or sieve over a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 days, daily squeezing out and discarding any liquid. After 3 days, divide the meat up into 6 little 4 oz loaves, wrap each one in plastic wrap and place the loaves in a freezer bag or wrap again in aluminum foil. You can also use wax or freezer paper.

The chorizo will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. Storing it longer doesn't really pose a safety concern, but the taste will suffer.

Since we live right on the border with Mexico, and I’ve started doing Mexican cooking, I really appreciated seeing this recipe. We do have one grocery that sells the equivalent of homemade chorizo, but I liked the idea of making my own. I have now made a batch of it, and used it in a recipe (Chorizo-Stuffed Chayotes from http://www.mexconnect.com), and it is really good! Especially with some wonderful beer (in this case Dogfish Head’s Aprihop). The smoked paprika in it gives it an interesting (in the best sense) flavor. Anyway, the dish came out really nice, and I’m looking forward to enjoying some eggs & chorizo, too. I did not get any pork fat, and used 7% ground turkey to round out the 5% ground pork I found. The chorizo did not turn out dry and was still very flavorful, despite the lack of fat. This is a really nice recipe, one I will be making anytime I need chorizo. [A post-script: if you had the fresh chorizo from Vista Central Market, here in El Paso, you might still buy some chorizo if you were in the neighborhood.] I’m going to check into your other chorizo dishes, and re-try the East-West Lentil Stew using this chorizo, which I’m sure will solve the problem I had of the dish being way too hot. I would recommend this recipe to anyone who wants authentic Mexican chorizo flavor. Thank you for posting this recipe.

That’s wonderful, jesusan! You’re the first person, besides me, who has made this…or at least who has left feedback :) I’m so happy you liked it and I value you’re opinion as to its authentic flavor. You mentioned wanting to try some of my other recipes using this chorizo – the Tinga Poblana Pulled Pork Tacos are fantastic! (In fact, they won Better Recipes’ “Best Mexican Recipe Ever” contest :) If you don’t like a lot of heat, adjust the amount of chipotles accordingly.

Hi Rodney! I think you’ll be happy with the flavor of this chorizo. Having made homemade chorizo before, you have a point of reference to draw a comparison, so please do let me know what you think once you’ve tried it!

Just wanted to let you know that my husband give your chorizo an enthusiastic thumbs up today (I don’t think it was entirely the 9% ABV beer he was drinking). I used it in a dish from the MexConnect website – Chorizo Stuffed Chayotes. In case you want to make that recipe, I’ve given up trying to stuff the chayote shells. It works just as well to cook the squash completely, chop it up, and add everything to the pan with the chorizo. I put it in the microwave to melt the cheese I put on top. Thank you again for this wonderful recipe. I hope many others try it and enjoy it.

Thanks for the feedback, jesusan! I think I’d go a little nutty trying to stuff those chayotes as well. Agreed, it ends up tasting the same unstuffed anyway :) Thanks again for making the chorizo and I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it…even if his enthusiasm was even partially due to the liquid influence ;)

Hello, VeS, and greetings to Prague! I understand that you are a sausage maker and that you also collect recipes for sausages and other meats. You mentioned something about requesting recipes for Mexican and Spanish sausage products. I am not entirely sure what you are requesting or what you have in mind. Can you please clarify? Thank you, Kimberly

I’m going to try making chorizo for the first time and I like the looks of your spice combo but we like our chorizo spicy. Like really spicy. Would you recommend additional dried spices or minced fresh?

If by spicy you mean “flavor”, I think you’ll be happy with the degree of flavor – it’s pretty strong. You can always make it as outlined and then take just a little bit of it, fry it up, and try it to determine if you want to add more of the spices. That’s what I did when I was experimenting with the flavor ratios for this recipe. As for adding any other spices or herbs not listed, the ones in this recipe are the ones that are traditionally used in authentic Mexican chorizo. If the authentic flavor is what you’re after, stick with the ingredients listed but absolutely feel free to increase their quantity if you prefer. If you mean spicy as in “hot”, adding red chile flakes will do the trick. Thanks for making this and I look forward to hearing how it turned out!

I have been eating store bought chorizo all of my life. I was an adult when I found out about the glandular/organ meat component as the meat source in this wonderful Mexican sausage. I decided, which I think you should consider as well, that the texture was never displeasing and I have enjoyed it prepared many, many different ways. If it didn’t gross you out when you were eating it, then it shouldn’t necessarily bother you to find out what it was made of. I doubt I would ever be able to eat these organ meats by themselves, like so many people do just about any organ meat and consider it a delicacy. I have never been able to stomach the texture of liver, gizzards, heart, etc. I have had some preparations of liverwurst that were quite enjoyable and I love guacamole, even though I cannot stand the texture of sliced avocados. I think you should reconsider the store bought chorizo and just not think about what it is made of. You had no idea it was organ meats you were eating and you never really will, just from eating the finished sausage product.

I’ve eaten the store-bought, too, and been okay with it. However, when I make this recipe, I know what it will turn out like every time, and I can control the spiciness of it. I appreciate being able to buy ready-made if needed, but this is so good and so easy that it’s worth making, and I can get all the ingredients closer to home than I can the good store stuff. Personally, I prefer eating sausage with just regular meat and not all the weird stuff. I may not taste what you are calling ‘organ meat’ in chorizo, but I can tell you that I don’t like it straight: texture, taste, anything about it. There are cultures that consider grubs a delicacy, and are a staple in their diet, but at least for me, that’s not going to persuade me to eat them. Many of us are happier eating things we know we like. :-)

Hi John! While I can see your logic, logic in this case doesn’t negate or trump the impact of the emotional reaction to finding out that what you’ve really been eating is something that you would otherwise find thoroughly repulsive. And besides, I really don’t have the need or incentive to try and psyche myself into eating it since it’s not like store-bought is the only option I have if I want to enjoy Mexican chorizo. As jesusan kindly noted, this recipe for homemade chorizo really is fantastic and so easy to make! So why buy it at all? I make it in bulk and freeze it to keep on hand. And the best part of all…I can eat and enjoy it knowing it’s 100% lymph node and salivary gland FREE!!

Well, this is going to be dangerous. I see I have a project picked out for next weekend! I’ll have to check the black hole that is my spice collection for Mexican oregano. Found out the hard way that I was out of whole cloves yesterday when I was making the Rotkohl, had to substitute whole allspice!

Hi Tammi! Unless you’re a purist and can’t live without it, don’t worry about getting Mexican oregano – regular will work just fine. Have fun with this chorizo. It tastes wonderful and will really enhance your Mexican dishes!

Hi Kimberly, I was wondering, can you skip the straining portion and make it the night before you want to use it? I realize the flavor may not be as intense but was curious about your thoughts on this. Thank you!

This is a great recipe, but it doesn’t have the flavor or consistency of the lymph node/salivary gland chorizo. They use those organ meats for a reason: it gives traditional chorizo a unique texture and flavor you can’t get from pork shoulder. I’m not saying the recipe is bad, it just isn’t the real thing. Try this: go to your local butcher, ask for pork lymph nodes and salivary glands, grind them with a good meat grinder, and then try this recipe; then compare the two versions. I’m guessing, if you can approach the two objectively, that you will prefer the organ-based version. And it’s a great use for an otherwise hard-to-use meat product.

I really don’t understand the squeamishness–to me, it smacks of arrogance. If you choose to eat meat, to take the life of an animal, then have the decency to 1) butcher it yourself, and 2) eat the whole thing, from snout to trotter. There are great recipes for all of it, from pig’s ears to blood sausage. Otherwise you are no better than the fishermen who cut the fins off sharks for soup, and leave the rest of the animal to die.

Amahl, I am sure that the taste and texture are different. And I can appreciate some of the sentiments you’ve expressed, but I need to comment on a couple of your points. 1) It is not arrogance to shy away from parts of an animal that are not common to the diet of ones culture, it’s simply a difference in upbringing and what one is familiar with. 2) The shark comparison is a very poor one for at least a couple of reasons. First, in your example only a tiny piece of the shark is used and the rest of it is discarded. I am certain the meat processing plants are using every bit of the pig for a wide variety of products, for both humans and animals. Secondly, what makes the example of the sharks especially alarming is the blatant cruelty involved. I am most confident that the swine in this country do not have their lymph nodes and salivary glands removed while still alive and then cast back into the pig sty to die. As for butchering animals ourselves, that simply isn’t practical for most people. Dragging a 1300 pound cow into a high-rise apartment? Besides being logistically impossible, that would be a sure way to get a notice to vacate from the landlord.

Kimberly, you bring up a good point that shying away from certain edible parts of animals is a cultural bias. That was part of my point too. When I bring my kids to a Mexican or Asian market and they see a tray of chicken feet, for example, their typical response is “ewww,” simply because the concept of eating chicken feet is unfamiliar to them. We (let’s not say arrogant, but “privileged”) Americans are used to buying meat butchered, cleaned and packaged. But chicken breasts and ground meat tends to sanitize the whole experience–we are anesthetized to the murder that is inherent in eating meat, because we don’t have to face the animal when it’s alive. That’s somebody else’s job (the “meat processing plants”). Thus my point with butchering the animals themselves, and no, I don’t expect people to kill cows in their apartment. But drive to a nearby farm next time you need lamb chops, for example, and at least participate in the slaughter. Look that lamb in the eyes before it’s killed (by you, or the farm hand). I’ll warn you; it’s not for the squeamish. But if every American did this, it is my firm belief that not only would we all eat less meat, we’d also have a greater respect for what happens to the rest of the animal, because we’d feel some empathy, some moral responsibility for those feet, feathers, even salivary glands and lymph nodes that otherwise go to fertilizer, pet food…or, like the sharks, are simply discarded in favor of the “good parts” we’re used to eating. I am not a vegan. I eat meat, and so do my kids. But don’t you think, as a gourmet, that we all deserve to know what we’re eating and where it came from?

Hi Jennifer, pork has its own flavor that no other meat can imitate. Beef just wouldn’t taste the same and chicken lacks the fat that adds both texture and flavor to the chorizo. If you’re still set on making this with an alternative go ahead and try ground chicken, but don’t blame me if you’re not happy with the results! :)

I’m a hunter and just harvested a javelina near Nogales last Friday. I’ve been searching online for chorizo recipes and have settled on this one! Of all the recipes I’ve revieewd, this one looks like a winner. I’ll be grinding the meat course I think and mixing in my Kitchenaid; do you think I should mix everything and then mix in the fat last so it doesn’t all get too “smooth” in texture? Thanks!

Hi Robert, that sounds like a fun project! I’d recommended grinding them together. Make sure the meat and fat are super cold before you grind them (it makes it much easier). Freeze both for about 2 hours before grinding them. You don’t want them frozen but you do want them very cold. Cut them up into small pieces and feed them through the Kitchenaid. It sounds like you’ve done this before though, so you should be good to go. Happy chorizo-making from your latest harvest! I’ve never had javelina before – let us know how it goes!

Hi Kimberly! I made two pounds of your chorizo recipe today with the Javelina I harvested last week near the Mexican border / Nogales. We sauteed some with onions for quick lunch tacos just now and it was perfect! I simply doubled the recipe. I also used half Ancho chile powder and half Guajillo chile powder to add a slight spice to it but not too much. I ground the meat and fat coarse and ended up mixing meat and ingredients first, then adding and mixing the ground pork fat in toward the end so it did not smear. The balance is in the refrigerator now to sit and blend for the next three days though frankly it was delicious as is. READERS: This is a very easy recipe with fantastic flavor. Even with the half and half ground guajillo chili powder it was mild to medium heat. I think you could go full guajillo powder instead of half ancho and have a good solid medium heat to it. I searched the internet and family friends living in Mexico for a good recipe and this one is as close to perfect as you can get for this side of the border! Thank you again!!!

I would like to put my two cent worth in here. Here in Nayarit, Mexico there are a variety of excellent chorizos to choose from. Those with parts of the animal that some might find icky are usually the finer ground mix that we throw on the grill much like a hot dog in a backyard bar b que in the u.s. Other chorizo that we take the casings off of and scramble with eggs, for example, are coarser ground and tend to have more recognizable meat and fat bits. The spices and technique in this recipe are dead on for a typical homemade chorizo for the aunts and grandmas that I have throughout the mid section of Mexico. That said, beef is also used. I, personally, have used ground turkey successfully, fried in olive oil, and incorporated into scrambled eggs with the approval of said aunts and grandmas. Modern Mexicans we are. Love this recipe

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